One week from LOST vote in City of Cedar Rapids and other areas of Linn County, Iowa

We received the following e-mail last week on the March 3, 2009 Local Option Sales Tax vote for the City of Cedar Rapids and Linn County, Iowa...

On March 3rd many of our members will vote whether or not to approve a 1 cent local option tax. The link below is to the Linn County Auditor’s webpage which outlines the revenue purpose of each municipality that is eligible for the tax as well as the ballot language.

http://www.linncounty.org/content.asp?Page_Id=963&Dept_Id=6

Here is some general information about the election taken from the Cedar Rapids Gazette.

Sales tax election
■ Ballot question — Should your city (or county) of residence be authorized to collect a 1 percent localoption sales and services tax from April 1, 2009, until June 30, 2014? Each city and the county will say on the ballot how the tax revenue would be used.
■ Date of election — Tuesday, March 3
■ Polling place hours — 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
■ Where to vote — Go to your regular polling place.
Residents of Bertram, Central City, Coggon and Prairieburg will not vote because those cities already collect the local 1 percent sales tax.
■ Last day to register to vote — Feb. 20
■ To vote absentee — Go to the Auditor’s Office at Westdale Mall by March 2 or request an absentee ballot by mail before Feb. 27.
■ How it will work — Each city’s voters determine whether the tax will be collected in that city. The metro area does not vote as a bloc. If, for example, Cedar Rapids voters approve the tax and Marion voters reject it, the 1 percent tax will be collected in Cedar Rapids but not in Marion.
Or if voters in all the cities approve the tax and those in the unincorporated areas reject it, the county will not share in tax proceeds.
■ Questions? — Call the Linn County Auditor’s Office, (319) 892-5300.